I know the advice is usually Always Be Closing, but I think testing your marketing not only comes first but it's a critical element in bringing people to the table so you can close them.
User testing is a best practice in marketing. No element of the plan or facet of execution is exempt from the drive to find a better way. So unless you're considering a better way to present your plan to management or a way to connect people with the right content sooner you may be overlooking a better way to better results.
I'm all for user testing. As an agency copywriter I worked on Fortune 500 accounts. User testing gave us precise data on what worked for them. Commercial formats were described by the test-winning techniques, plots and actions they contained. Another highly targeted B2B company restricted colored headlines and concept graphics for ground breaking announcements figuring if they used them for everything they would use up the high scoring magic. My requests to test something new were put off in place of tests that combined known winning elements such as a bigger graphic plus a colored headline.
User testing is a best practice in marketing. No element of the plan or facet of execution is exempt from the drive to find a better way. So unless you're considering a better way to present your plan to management or a way to connect people with the right content sooner you may be overlooking a better way to better results.
I'm all for user testing. As an agency copywriter I worked on Fortune 500 accounts. User testing gave us precise data on what worked for them. Commercial formats were described by the test-winning techniques, plots and actions they contained. Another highly targeted B2B company restricted colored headlines and concept graphics for ground breaking announcements figuring if they used them for everything they would use up the high scoring magic. My requests to test something new were put off in place of tests that combined known winning elements such as a bigger graphic plus a colored headline.
